Sidney J. Winawer, MD

About Me

I am a board-certified gastroenterologist with a special interest in the screening for and surveillance and management of polyps, colon cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases. I have been on staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering since 1968 and now hold the hospital’s Paul Sherlock Chair in Medicine. I am also a Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

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Over my career I have made significant contributions to the prevention and diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Under my leadership the National Polyp Study determined that removing polyps prevents colorectal cancer. I introduced colonoscopy for screening as chair of the US Multisociety Task Force guidelines committee. I headed the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer, which established guidelines for the prevention of colorectal cancer. I am past President of the American College of Gastroenterology, and am Co-Chair of the International Digestive Cancer Alliance, which has initiated a worldwide campaign to increase awareness and prevention of digestive cancers. I am also co-chair of the New York City Department of Health colorectal cancer screening campaign.

I have earned a number of awards including the Memorial Sloan Kettering Alumni Award, as well as the Clinical Achievement Award from the American College of Gastroenterology and the Schindler Award from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy for distinguished contributions to gastroenterology and gastrointestinal endoscopy.

I have published more than 400 research articles, reviews, and book chapters. I am also co-author of Cancer Free: The Comprehensive Cancer Prevention Program, a book on cancer prevention written for the general public, and Healing Lessons, a Journey of Love and Integrative Medicine.

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Publications

Pubmed is an online index of biomedical articles maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Clinical Trials

As home to one of the world’s top cancer research centers, Memorial Sloan Kettering is typically involved in more than 900 clinical trials at a given time. Currently, clinical trials focused on the conditions I treat are enrolling new patients. If you’re interested in joining a clinical trial, click to learn about the trial’s purpose, eligibility criteria, and how to get more information.